The small game guys want the season to extend into March where deer season is extended. OK. Explain to me this quote...

"Sykes said WFF considered extending small-game season into the first week of March, but nixed it after biologists suggested it would extend into breeding seasons, making pregnant females vulnerable to overharvest."


How in the world does it matter if a squirrel or rabbit was killed after she was bred? The same female is still dead.

You know i was thinking the exact same thing when I read that.

Bred doe deer get shot often what's the difference?

Not enough people small game hunt for it to matter. I'd like it to run up to turkey season.

I wish it would start earlier. There ain't nothing like sneaking up to a hickory tree loaded with squirrels. By the time season starts here, most of the hickory nuts are done.

I've been saying this for years, and as far as affecting the population seems stupid. If yard cats, dogs, and cars don't put any noticeable dent in the squirrel/rabbit population in the suburbs then the varmit hunters are not going to hurt it in the woods.

The ONLY thing preventing that is Turkey Hunters.....and $$$$.

Why would turkey hunters care if small game season was open until turkey season?

I guess the same reason it's illegal to run dogs for fun, during turkey season. Sykes is a Idot that has more $$$ than common sense. From what I have seen of his decisions.

I didn't know that was illegal DW. However even if it was most clubs wouldn't allow it. It would certainly have an affect on public land turkey hunting.

And ofcourse, having the opportunity to go squirrel hunting during Spring Break seems like a good chance to bring more hunters to the fold. It would probably help license sales, even if just a little bit.

Yea. But private land owners should be able to run dogs, especially on their own property. But hey. It is what it is.

All we hear about is hunter numbers are down and license numbers are down. This was an easy way to recruit a new generation of hunters and increase revenue.

Nice job DCNR.

Instead we get this - "In order to promote hunting on Alabama's public lands, Sykes proposed creating four special-opportunity gun hunts for deer, two in Zone A and two in Zone B.

The Zone A hunts are tentatively set for Nov. 6-8 on the Choccolocco WMA and Nov. 13-14 on the Black Warrior Wma. In Zone B, where gun deer season is closed Dec. 1-10 to accommodate the 10-day season shift into February, special-opportunity gun hunts are scheduled to be held Dec. 3-6 on the Barbour and Lowndes WMAs."

I agree. I don't see how they can tell you it's illegal for you to let your dogs run on your own property.

I would gladly trade a couple of weeks on the front end and take the first 2 weeks of march. The first of the season if tough finding them anyway with a dog.

I think squirrel season should last all year. If we start to notice a decline in the squirrel population it could be cut back but I doubt that is going to happen. Not that many people hunt them anyway and for most of the year not many people would want to hunt them. I don't see any need for a season any more.

Our squirrel season here in MO is 9 months, 5 months out of the 9 you never see anyone squirrel hunting. And our breeding season is Dec - February and July - Sept. Season is closed mid Feb to mid May.

Exactly Swampy....if very few are hunting anyway....why do you need to close the season on the few that might want to go? Sure not going to damage the squirrel population.

To manage the people.

And, to make the people who don't really think 'ordinary' people have the Right to Hunt anyway happy. They don't want the Wildlife 'bothered' whole they are not hunting.

It has nothing to do with managing wildlife.